Everything about Chancellors totally explained
Chancellor or
chancellour (archaic) (
Latin:
cancellarius) is an official
title used in countries whose civilization has arisen directly or indirectly out of the
Roman Empire. At different times and in different countries it has stood for various duties and has been borne by officers of various degrees of dignity. Various
governments have a chancellor who serves as some form of junior or senior
minister. The original chancellors were the
Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the
cancelli or lattice work screens of a
basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the audience. A Chancellor's office is called a
chancellery or
chancery.
Austria
The
Chancellor of Austria, or
Bundeskanzler, is the title for the
head of government in
Austria. In
Austrian politics, the
Bundeskanzler position is somewhat equivalent to that of a
prime minister.
Argentina
In Argentina the Foreign Minister is mostly called
Canciller (Chancellor) and he works at the
Cancillería (chancellery).
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Brazil
The Chancellor of Brazil, or
Chanceler, is the country's
foreign affairs minister, whose office is located inside
Itamaraty Palace.
China
The
Chancellor of China was the second highest rank after the
Emperor of China.
Colombia
In
Colombia, the Chancellor is the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Denmark
The office of chancellor (or royal chancellor) seems to have appeared in the 12th century, and until
1660 it was the title of the leader of the state administration (a kind of a "Home Office" but often with foreign political duties). Often he appeared to be the real leader of the government. From 1660–1848, the title continued as "Grand Chancellor" or "President of the Danish Chancellery," and was replaced in
1848 by the title "Minister of Domestic Affairs."
Egypt
There are two ancient Egyptian titles sometimes translated as chancellor. There is the "royal sealer" (xtmtj-bity or xtmw-bity), a title attested since the First Dynasty (about 3000 BC). People holding the post include
Imhotep and Hemaka.
The other title translated as chancellor is "Keeper of the Royal Seal" (or
overseer of the seal or
treasurer—imy-r xtmt ). Officials holding the post include
Bay or
Irsu, Khety
Meketre, and Nakhti .
The first title (royal sealer) announced a certain rank at the royal court, the second (supervisor of the sealed goods, for example treasurer) was responsible for the state's income. This position appears around 2000 BC.
Estonia
In
Estonia the
Chancellor of Justice (
Õiguskantsler, Currently
Allar Jõks) supervises the legality of actions taken by the
government and monitors the implementation of basic civil liberties.
Finland
In
Finland the
Chancellor of Justice (
Oikeuskansleri, Justitiekanslern) supervises the legality of actions taken by the
government and monitors the implementation of basic civil liberties. In this special function the chancellor also sits in the Finnish
Cabinet, the
Finnish Council of State.
France
For centuries, the
King of France appointed a chancellor or
Chancelier de France, a
Great Officer of the Crown, as an office associated with that of
keeper of the seals. The
chancelier was responsible for some judicial proceedings. During the reigns of
Louis XVIII,
Charles X and
Louis Philippe, the Chancellor of
France presided over the Chamber of Peers, the upper house of the royal French parliament.
Germany
As in Austria, the
Chancellor of Germany or
Bundeskanzler (meaning "
Federal Chancellor"), is the title for the head of government in
Germany.
Bundeskanzlerin is the
feminine form. In
German politics the
Bundeskanzler position is somewhat equivalent to that of a
prime minister and is elected by the
Bundestag, the German Parliament, every four years, but can be replaced at any time by the parliament.
After the
unification of Germany, in the year
1871, the Chancellor of the
Reich or
Reichskanzler (meaning "
Imperial Chancellor"), served not only as
head of government, but also as presiding officer of the
Bundesrat, the
upper house of the German imperial
parliament. After the abdication of
Kaiser Wilhelm II in
1918, the German chancellor no longer presided over the upper house of parliament, but was head of the
republic's government.
Adolf Hitler was appointed to the chancellorship in
1933 by President
Hindenburg. On
March 23 1933, after the
Reichstag fire, the parliament passed the
Enabling Act, which gave to Hitler legal right to pass
legislation without the approval or consent of the parliament: he was made a legal
dictator. The office of "Chancellor" was combined with that of the "President" and called the
Führer und Reichskanzler (meaning "Leader and Imperial Chancellor") after President Hindenburg's death in the year
1934.
Since the
defeat of
Nazi Germany and the formation of the
Federal Republic in
1949, the chancellorship has adhered to its role as prescribed by the
Basic Law. It differs from the chancellorship of
Weimar Germany primarily in that the office isn't appointed by the president, but through a
majority Bundestag vote.
Lithuania
See Poland below.
Japan
The
Daijō Daijin or
Chancellor of the Realm was the head of the
Daijō-kan, or Department of State in
Heian Japan and briefly under the
Meiji Constitution.
Peru
In
Peru, the Chancellor is the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Poland
In the
Kingdom of Poland from the
14th century, there was a royal chancellor. In the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (
1569–
1795), the four chancellors were among the ten highest officials of the state.
Poland and
Lithuania each had a Grand Chancellor and a Deputy Chancellor, each entitled to a senatorial seat, responsible for the affairs of the whole Kingdom, each with his own chancery. See
Offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Russia
In the
Russian Empire, the chancellor was the highest rank of civil service as defined by the
Table of Ranks and on the same grade as
field marshal and
General Admiral. Only the most distinguished government officials were promoted to this grade, such as
foreign ministers
Alexander Gorchakov and
Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin.
Spain
The
Spanish word “canciller” is the equivalent to the
English chancellor. However, in
Spain, the term refers to a
civil servant responsible for technical issues relating to
foreign affairs. Chancellors work in the embassies and consulates of Spain. Other Spanish speaking countries use the term “canciller” to refer to the
Foreign Minister.
Sweden
In
Sweden the
Chancellor of Justice or
Justitiekanslern acts as the
Solicitor General for the
Swedish Government. The office was introduced by
Charles XII of Sweden in
1713. Historically there was also a
Lord High Chancellor or
Rikskansler as the most senior member of the
Privy Council of Sweden. There is in addition to this a University Chancellor or
Universitetskansler, who leads the National Agency for
Higher Education.
Switzerland
In
Switzerland, the
Federal Chancellor (
Bundeskanzler, Chancelier fédéral, Cancelliere della Confederazione) is elected by the Swiss
parliament. He or she heads the Federal Chancellery, the general staff of the seven-member executive
Federal Council, the Swiss government. The Chancellor participates in the meetings of the seven Federal Councilors with a consultative vote and prepares the reports on policy and activities of the council to parliament. The chancellery is responsible for the publication of all federal laws.
United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom, a number of cabinet ministers hold offices containing the word
chancellor.
- The Lord Chancellor (Lord High Chancellor, King's Chancellor) is the occupant of one of the oldest offices of state, dating back to the Kingdom of England, and older than Parliament itself. Theoretically, the Lord Chancellor is the "Chancellor of Great Britain"; there was formerly an office of "Chancellor of Ireland" which was abolished in 1922, when all but Northern Ireland left the United Kingdom. The Lord Chancellor, the second highest non-royal subject in precedence (after the Archbishop of Canterbury), fulfils a threefold role:
- The Lord Chancellor was the head of the English, but not Scottish, judiciary. Previously, the Lord Chancellor was the sole judge in the Court of Chancery. Since that court has been combined with others to form the High Court, the Lord Chancellor has served as the head of the Chancery division, but that role has been delegated to the Vice-Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor was also permitted to participate in judicial sittings of the House of Lords; he also chooses the committees that hear appeals in the Lords. The latter role was in practice fulfilled by the Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. All judicial functions have since been moved to the new Supreme Court under the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005.
- Head of the Ministry of Justice, which was created in May 2007 from the Department for Constitutional Affairs (which was created in 2003 from the Lord Chancellor's Department) as the head of which he sits in the Cabinet.
- He was also formerly the de facto speaker of the House of Lords. However, as of 2006, following reforms made by the Labour government these duties are now undertaken by the Lord Speaker. The current Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw, is the first in history to sit in the House of Commons rather than the House of Lords.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the minister with overall responsibility for the Exchequer or Treasury. This, too, is an ancient title dating back to the Kingdom of England. It is roughly the equivalent of the Minister of Finance or Secretary of the Treasury in other governmental systems. In recent years, when the term chancellor is used in British politics, it's taken as referring to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As Second Lord of the Treasury, the Chancellor has an official residence at 11 Downing Street, next door to the First Lord of the Treasury, the Prime Minister, at 10 Downing Street, in London.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, another ancient office of state, the Chancellor being the Minister of the Crown responsible in theory for the running of the Duchy of Lancaster, a duchy in England belonging to the Crown but historically maintained separately from the rest of the kingdom, whose net revenues personally belong to the monarch. In reality, the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, effectively like a chairman of trustees, carries minimal work and responsibilities, so it's used in effect as a minister without portfolio position, often given to the chairman of the party in power to give him or her a seat in the cabinet.
United States
In the United States, the only "chancellor" established by the federal government is the Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution, a largely ceremonial office held by the Chief Justice of the United States. As the Smithsonian is a research and museum system, its use of the title is perhaps best thought of as akin to a university's chancellor.
State Chancellors
Some U.S. states, like Delaware, still maintain a separate Court of Chancery with jurisdiction over equity cases. Judges who sit on those courts are called chancellors.
Among the states that once had the judicial office of chancellor, but have now abolished it, is New York State. In 1789, after George Washington had been elected the first President of the United States, he traveled to the temporary national capital, New York City, to be sworn in to office. By tradition, the presidential oath is administered by the Chief Justice of the United States except in cases of emergency. Of course, at the time Washington took office there was no chief justice or any other federal judges, as there wasn't yet a president to appoint them. Therefore, the oath of office was administered to Washington by the highest-ranking judge available, Robert Livingston, the chancellor of New York State.
Educational usage
The title chancellor has several uses in U.S. educational institutions.
In government, it's title of the heads of the New York City Department of Education and the District of Columbia Public Schools, who run the municipally-operated public schools in those jurisdictions. New York State also has a chancellor of the University of the State of New York, a "university" as a fiction of law in that it's the body that licenses and regulations all educational and research institutions in the state and many professions (it isn't to be confused with the State University of New York, an actual institution of higher learning).
Many public and private universities and university systems are headed by chancellors who function as the chief executive officer of the school or systems of schools.
In a few instances, the term chancellor is used for a student or faculty member within a high school or an institution of higher learning being either appointed or elected as chancellor in order to preside on the highest ranking judicial board or tribunal. They handle non-academic matters such as violations of behavior code, harassment, or violation of the school's created constitution.
Uruguay
In Uruguay, Chancellor (Spanish: Canciller) is the title given to the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Other Organizations
Catholic Church
The chancellor is the principal record-keeper of a diocese or eparchy, or their equivalent. The chancellor is a notary, so that he may certify official documents, and often has other duties at the discretion of the bishop of the diocese: he may be in charge of some aspect of finances or of managing the personnel connected with diocesan offices, although his delegated authority can't extend to vicars of the diocesan bishop, such as vicars general, episcopal vicars or judicial vicars. His office is within the "chancery." Vice-chancellors may be appointed to assist the chancellor in busy chanceries. Normally, the chancellor is a priest or deacon, although in some circumstances a layperson may be appointed to the post. In the eparchial curia a chancellor is to be appointed who is to be a presbyter (priest) or deacon and whose principal obligation, unless otherwise established by the particular law, is to see that the acts of the curia are gathered and arranged as well as preserved in the archives of the eparchial curia.
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